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‘Air Cavalry’ tested, may need a recast

In the heat of May in Rajasthan, a squadron of helicopters flew a few metres above ground, attempting to evade ‘enemy radars.

‘Air Cavalry’ tested, may need a recast


Ajay Banerjee in New Delhi

In the heat of May in Rajasthan, a squadron of helicopters flew a few metres above ground, attempting to evade ‘enemy radars.’ On ground, in a separate corridor, moved a column of T-90 tanks in attack formation. The Indian Army’s tested ‘Air Cavalry’ – a concept the US introduced in 1965. 

The US’ first ‘Air Cavalry’ division arrived in Vietnam in August and September 1965. Airmobile operations used helicopters to fly over difficult terrains and move behind enemy lines to air-assault targeted objectives. 

The ‘air cavalry’ was tried during the four-week exercise ‘Vijay Prahar’ conducted by the Jaipur-headquartered South Western Command at the Mahajan field firing ranges near Suratgarh. The concept of ‘Air Cavalry’ employing attack and weaponized helicopters has been validated, a statement from the South Western Command said at the end of the exercise on May 9. 

The exercise was aimed at designing an offensive battle on the principles of a ‘deep air-land battle’ with real-time intelligence-surveillance and reconnaissance using space-based technology. It used the elements of the Mathura-based 1 Strike Corps, about 25,000 troops, tanks, UAVs, IAF fighter jets and attack helicopters. It included a component of fighting and surviving in battle after a tactical nuclear weapon is fired by the enemy.

Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow at the Observor Research Foundation (ORF) National Security Programme, disagrees with the use of attack helicopters beyond the ‘forward edge’ of the battle. With fluid battle conditions, defining the ‘forward edge’ would be tough. In the era of shoulder-fired missiles, a low-flying armed copter cannot be used in an offensive style. There are other ways to use a copter, he said. 

He cited the example of Soviet helicopters being hit during the Afghan invasion (1979-1989) by the Mujahideen who had US-supplied Stinger missiles. The battle of Karbala in Iraq in 2003 led to the destruction of many American attack copters. 

The US used the ‘air cavalry’ to some good use, but lost about 5,000 men in Vietnam despite the fact there were no shoulder-fired missiles then, he said.

Why ‘Air Cavalry’ now?

The Army first experimented it in the 1980s. Starting 2019, the Army and the IAF, will start adding the new-age attack copters and the number will go up 230 copters over the next decade. Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, Commander of the South-Western Command, said after the exercise: “We have been working on this (air cavalry) in consonance with the air force.”

In 2014, the Ministry of Defence accepted the need to have 39 armed helicopters which will fly overhead when ground-based Strike Corps elements move in for an attack.

Tactical N-strike

In the second week of February this year, the US Congress heard director of National Intelligence Dan Coats on possible worldwide threats. He warned how Pakistan continues to develop short-range tactical weapons.

The Indian assessment says tactical nukes are an option for Pakistan if the ‘Cold-Start’ doctrine — a strike by armoured units deep inside Pakistan — is operationalized. A tactical nuke is small warhead targeted at ground forces. The Army is gearing itself to fight and win in the battle field ‘contaminated’ by a nuclear strike. “It a real threat. we must keep practising it”, says Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd),  a former Western Army Commander, who was in 63 Cavalry, a 1971 war decorated regiment.

Almost all the Russian-origin T-90 and T-72 tanks — the prime fighting machines on the western front — have been fitted with a specialized kit to allow troops to survive and even carry forward with a counter-attack in case of tactical nuclear strike. 

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